The Pagano family was founded in the mid 1950s by Vincent Pagano, a former lieutenant from Chicago who had gotten involved in the black-market trade during World War II and who had later been sent by his superiors to keep an eye on their investments in Las Vegas, after he was exiled from the City of Sin when their point-man, Oswald Epstein, was murdered for ostensibly embezzling money from their casinos. He brought his men with him and they settled in North Jersey.

Over the years, Pagano established a reputation as being cautious and methodical, perhaps owing to the police bust of the Apalachin Conference in '59, preferring low-key rackets such as sports betting and high-class escort services. Pagano enforced a strict no-drugs policy and was quick to dispatch anyone who violated this rule; he valued fierce loyalty and calculation amongst their members and, wishing to steer his family clear of the dope business, strived to ensure that his people were well looked after.

Pagano held onto the throne for a further four decades, quelling numerous threats to his leadership and greasing the palms of the right officials, until a heart attack finally claimed his life in the summer of 1997. In the wake of his death, a bloody civil war erupted, driving many of the Mustache Petes to the grave as a new breed of gangster claimed the upper ranks, ushering in a departure from the old ways as they watered down Old Man Pagano's strict policy on drugs by lieu of accepting kickbacks from gangbangers selling dope on their turf, fell into more daring crimes such as smash-and-grab robberies, and recruited enforcers who were conducting their business sloppily and without any concern for repercussions from the law.

Stephen Cammarano, who had advanced from running Old Man Pagano's books to running the family, imposed high taxes on his constituents, putting him at odds with his capos, and didn't really have enough knowledge of the streets. After his "disappearance" in 1999, his younger brother, Brian, assumed the helm, bringing the family into a much better position, albeit subtly putting the squeeze on the rackets of two of their lieutenants, Giacomo 'Jackie the Cripple' Mercurio and Ralph Mercurio in the process, allegedly for not backing Stephen during the civil war in '97.

Then in 2008, a chain of events was sparked off that led to the incarceration of Jackie Mercurio for eight years on extortion and armed robbery charges, the murder of his older brother Ralph during a drug deal that went awry, and the life imprisonment of Brian Cammarano on various RICO charges.

During this period, Brian's consigliere, Francesco 'Fair Frank' Gerardo, was appointed acting boss while Brian was rotting in a federal penitentiary awaiting trial._______________________________________________________________________________________________

The family is based in North Jersey, their presence felt strongest in Newark and Hoboken, although they also have rackets in Ironbound through the Mercurio brothers.

Following the ascension of Stephen Cammarano to the leadership, the family has become steeped in narcotics rackets, although in the past, they adhered to more traditional mob ventures such as illegal gambling and prostitution. Other than their recent involvement in the drug trade, though, the family has few other lucrative operations, sticking to blue collar rackets for the most part, including car theft.

Being outside of New York, the Pagano family, over the years, were able to cut their teeth in the murder-for-hire business, being outsourced contracts from the Five Families, sometimes even requests from out-of-town families sitting on the Commission._______________________________________________________________________________________________

How to start:

Once we get up and running, come see me if you are running dry on ideas and I will try and find you something to do. But it would also be appreciated if you were able to make a name on your own through your own jobs.

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